Ontario’s health providers bring insight to the other side of caregiving

Health care is often grounded in human interactions, chiefly between the health provider and the patient and in some cases the family caregiver.

Under its strategic plan, The Change Foundation (TCF) has already worked hard to acutely listen to the experiences of family caregivers in the health care system through the first phase of The Caring Experience. Now, TCF is getting ready to share insight from the other side of caregiving coin: Ontario’s frontline health care providers.

“It’s been such a pleasure to connect with these individuals,” says Frances. “Each provider brings such a unique perspective and all recognize the role and the importance of family caregivers.”

To get to the core of the experiences providers have when they interact with caregivers, Frances has been leading tailored two-hour sessions designed to encourage providers reflect and share the most salient issues. The majority of each session is used for discussion, however each provider is also asked to do a letter writing exercise that asks them to jump 10 years into the future to envision a health care system that fully supports patients and family caregivers.

“Providers and family caregivers agree on a number of fronts,” says Frances, “both groups want to see a health care system that is more supportive and treats everyone more equitably.”

Significant themes have already emerged from this activity over the short term. For example, challenges and opportunities to work with family caregivers vary greatly by health care setting, and many providers have noticed the lack of formal processes for caregiver assessments.

The full results will be released by TCF this Fall, which will incorporate results from a provider survey running parallel with the engagement sessions. For those providers interested in completing the survey, click here.

“There are still a lot of quite compelling findings to share, however it’s still a bit premature to give away too much as more analysis is needed,” says Frances.

As Ontario’s health care think tank, it is imperative that TCF explores all sides of the caregiving issue to ensure we have full understanding, and to facilitate a balanced approach in taking our next step – working with system partners and caregivers to fundamentally change how the health system interacts with and supports caregivers.

Just as we welcome a new season and warm weather returns, we at The Change Foundation (TCF) are More >

WHAT’S BEING SAID

Stephane is a young caregiver who assists with caring for his younger brother. Don has been caring for his wife since her diagnosis with early onset Alzheimer’s 5 years ago.
Hear from Stephane & Don on what their #caregiving experiences have been like: bit.ly/2VuxJCKpic.twitter.com/FfZTG9IqkE

Have you registered for our upcoming webinar on Including Caregiver ID initiatives as part of Family Presence and Open Visiting Policies in Ontario?
The webinar takes place on June 6th from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Register here: bit.ly/2Wuto3qpic.twitter.com/UTo09kDe1y

While 64% of #caregivers surveyed said they were happy to step in and provide care, 18% felt intimidated by what was expected of them.
Learn more about how caregivers feel about caregiving in our Spotlight on Ontario's Caregivers report: bit.ly/2TrwMe8pic.twitter.com/dl3dwlX8MQ

'Family presence results in better patient outcomes, it is that simple."
Are you looking to implement family presence or open visiting policy in our healthcare setting? Hear from those who do and their experiences in our latest report: bit.ly/2Wuto3qpic.twitter.com/pYCMRCBVqq

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Promoting a positive evolution in Ontario’s health care system by engaging patients, family caregivers and health providers to explore contemporary health care issues.